One of the most discussed provisions of the proposed update to Baltimore's 44-year old zoning ordinance seeks to reduce the concentration of corner liquor stores in distressed neighborhoods. This is important, and we applaud Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's decision to not support using limited rebuilding funds to help those stores damaged in the civil unrest of late April to keep doing the same thing ("Rawlings-Blake says she'll place limits on state aid to liquor stores damaged in riots,"Baltimore's food deserts,".
The potential benefits of updating Baltimore's zoning go far beyond addressing troublesome liquor stores, however. Transform Baltimore — the process to update Baltimore's zoning code from its current 1971 incarnation — is an opportunity for our city to reinvent itself by attracting new investment and residents while improving the quality of life for those who are already here. This proposed update is City Council Bill 12-0152. While the City Council has worked hard to review it, we strongly encourage them to pass this bill — it has been in the works for years.
This update will modernize Baltimore's zoning code, adding more certainty for the development process, easing the ability to redevelop, streamlining certain provisions, taking a complete view of neighborhoods and making common sense customizations for transit-oriented areas. The Neighborhood Commercial designation, for example, makes it possible to have appropriate retail establishments in our communities. Putting these stores and offices in places where people can walk instead of requiring them to drive increases access for people who do not have cars, is attractive to people who choose not to use cars and cuts down on traffic. New designations for transit-oriented development (TOD) will allow the city to take full advantage of its existing transit infrastructure, along with the proposed Red Line's transit stations. New mixed-use and mixed-income development around these stations is critical for both getting residents to existing jobs and creating new jobs right here in the city.
While zoning issues may not be a common topic of conversation in Baltimore, a group of 30 diverse stakeholder groups recently sent a joint letter to the City Council encouraging them to pass the bill. The signers of this letter included environmental, housing, community, development, historic, religious, financial and institutional organizations. We need this proposed zoning code update to rebuild Baltimore for the 21st century.
We also invite anyone interested in working on the future of Baltimore to attend a workshop being hosted by Citizens Planning and Housing Association this coming Thursday, June 25 at Coppin State University. You can sign up at cphabaltimore.org.
Richard Eberhart Hall, Baltimore
The writer is executive director of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association.